News

One-Hit Wonder: Busting a Major Myth About Lou Gehrig
"A hundred years ago, legendary baseball player Lou Gehrig hit a monstrous home run on South Field. But where did the ball really land?" Columbia Magazine consults the University Archives to "bust a major myth" about the baseball icon.

Histories of Hoover, the Mexican Revolution, and 1790s New York Win the Bancroft Prize
The New York Times reports that "histories of Hoover, the Mexican Revolution, and 1790s New York" win the 2023 Bancroft Prize in American History and Diplomacy, considered one of the most prestigious awards in the field of American history.

Ivy Plus Libraries Weigh in on OSTP Guidance on Access to Federally Funded Research
Columbia University Libraries joins peer institutions in the Ivy Plus Libraries Confederation in support of updated policy guidance from the White House Office of Science & Technology Policy (OSTP) that will make funded research immediately available to the public.

Columbia’s Rare Book & Manuscript Library Welcomes the Josefina Báez Papers, the Tenth in the Latino Arts and Activisms Collection
The Latino Arts and Activisms (LAAS) Collection in the Rare Book & Manuscript Library acquires the papers of writer, performer, and theorist Josefina Báez, founder of the Latinarte/Ay Ombe Theatre in New York, among numerous other accomplishments.

How to Use the Libraries as an Alum (Plus, New Databases!)
Did you know that alumni of Columbia University enjoy free, lifetime access to library facilities as well as free, off-campus access to dozens of journals and databases, including four new resources? Learn how to put your alumni benefits to use.

Researcher Profile | Leïla Morsy on the Closure of Black Medical Schools
Senior Lecturer at Flinders University Leïla Morsy visited the Rare Book & Manuscript Library to examine how powerful philanthropies in the early 20th century restructured medical education, creating long-lasting legacies that persist today.

Research at the RBML | Scott Spillman on Stanley Elkins and Eric McKitrick
Historian Scott Spillman details the numerous collections in the Rare Book & Manuscript Library that he consulted for a forthcoming book, including the papers of Columbia professor and writer Eric L. McKitrick (1919-2002).

Josefina Báez: Dominican-York Icon Whose Archive is Now Housed at Columbia University
The archive of Josefina Báez, an innovative Afro-Latina artist known first for her groundbreaking work, "Dominicanish," was recently acquired by the Latino Arts & Activisms Collection in the Rare Book & Manuscript Library.

In Pictures: Columbia’s Next President Minouche Shafik Visits Butler Library and Views Collections
Following an announcement on January 18 that Nemat “Minouche” Shafik will become the 20th president of Columbia University, she embarked on a welcome tour of the University, including a visit to Butler Library.

President’s Commission on the History of Race and Racism to Shed Light on Columbia’s Past and Present
"The newly-formed President’s Commission on the History of Race and Racism aims to interrogate little-known events" from Columbia history, "analyzing the University’s symbols and representations within a greater historical and racial context."

Columbia University and Slavery Project Launches Historical Campus Markers
An outcome of the Columbia University and Slavery seminar, co-taught by the Libraries' Curator for American History Thai Jones, the Historical Markers project is an "educational, public-oriented display" based on student research from the course.